By: Drayton Hogarth

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Rejoice Georgia Bulldog fans, the first game of the 2017 season is upon us!

Ok, so it is actually the second if you count National Signing Day as a competition, and it is only a scrimmage.

However, it is not a replay and for those of us starved for football at this time of year, we will take it!

I wanted to give everyone a quick primer of things to keep an eye on because one can’t typically take a lot of the play and results of a scrimmage at face value. The three biggest things to look for Between the Hedges will be the offensive line, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, plus Jacob Eason.

While I know that defense wins championships, the biggest key to an improved season lies at the feet of offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. All championship level teams begin with a quality offensive line.

This year the Bulldogs should see the results of a lot of hard work put in by Kirby Smart and in particular offensive line coach, Sam Pittman. Those two have accumulated size and talent not seen along the offensive line in Athens in years.

What folks need to keep an eye on with the G-Day game will be in the trenches, the play of this offensive line. Make sure to pay attention to the group playing as a unit, communicating better and being more physical up front.

This will be the first time in three seasons that the offensive line group will have the same offensive line coach to listen to and Pittman is one of the best in the country. Best of all, the talent level of this group will only get better come June when the rest of the incoming freshman will become student athletes, including five more offensive linemen. The best is yet to come along the offensive line.

The biggest beneficiary of an improved offensive line should be the deepest running back stable in the SEC, composed of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Brian Herrien, Elijah Holyfield, and incoming freshman D’andre Swift.

What to keep an eye on with G-Day is not how much Chubb and Sony touch the ball, but more so how they look when they touch the ball. Both should be fully recovered from their injuries from the season before and Chubb in particular coming off of a horrific knee injury should finally be 100%. Given this is a glorified scrimmage, don’t expect to see Chubb or Sony get more than a handful of touches, but again it will be the quality of touches not quantity.

Of course, the most visible position player on the field is the quarterback. Georgia may have the most talented quarterback in the conference in returning starter, Jacob Eason.

Again, look for the quality of plays that Eason gets, as Chaney will likely demonstrate Eason’s on-field maturity since last season’s inaugural campaign.

What to keep an eye on with Jacob Eason at G-Day will be how he can spread the ball around, check down on his route progressions, and be allowed to audible more at the line of scrimmage. Georgia fans need to appreciate Eason and not try to rush early enrollee quarterback, Jake Fromm, into the starting job—though both have bright futures ahead of them in Athens.

Let’s keep an eye on the offense, specifically the offensive line, running back stable, and the play of the quarterback, Jacob Eason.

So, whether you are headed to the Classic City to be part of another 93,000 or watching the game on tv, make sure to get your tailgate on, grill out, and enjoy the game. It’s the last game we will have until Labor Day weekend!